When calculating the total amount of water consumed by the United States,
we must first define and separate water withdrawal from water consumption. Withdrawal
refers to water extracted from surface or ground water sources, with consumption
being that part of a withdrawal that is ultimately used and removed from the immediate
water environment. The majority of water consumption comes from domestic use.
It is surprising to hear that each person in the United States uses approximately
380 liters of water each day (100 gal).

Most people drink under 4 liters of water a day, so how can it be that we each
use 380? We must take into consideration the water used for bathing, washing
dishes, brushing our teeth, flushing the toilet, etc. This chart shows the amount of
water used for some of the most common domestic activities.